Unit 3 (Part 2)

Front 1

bipartisanship

Back 1

occurs when the two major political parties work together to carry out a specific action

Front 2

blanket primaries

Back 2

elections to select party nominees in which voters are presented with a list of candidates from all the parties, allowing voters to select from different parties for different offices

Front 3

campaign committee

Back 3

national party organization designed to help party candidates win election

Front 4

central committee

Back 4

state party leaders

Front 5

closed primaries

Back 5

elections to select party nominees in which only people who have registered in advance with the party can vote for that party's candidates; encourages party loyalty

Front 6

coalition

Back 6

a collection of individuals or groups with a common interest on which every political party depends.

Front 7

coalition government

Back 7

when two or more parties join together to form a majority in a national legislature; common in multiparty systems in Europe

Front 8

Contract with America

Back 8

a document written by Newt Gingrich and Dick Armey which laid out the specific actions Republicans promised to take if they became the majority party in the House of Representatives, for the first time in 40 years, after the 1994 election.

Front 9

county/city committees

Back 9

party organization leadership at the local level body

Front 10

critical election

Back 10

an electoral "earthquake" where new issues emerge, new coalitions replace old ones, and the majority party is often displaced by the minority party. Often critical election periods are marked by a national crisis and may require more than one election to bring about a new party era

Front 11

Democratic-Republican Party

Back 11

second major political party in the US; elected Jefferson, Madison and Monroe to two consecutive terms each. The coalition which made up the party included agrarian (farm) interests

Front 12

divided government

Back 12

occurs typically when the White House is controlled by one major party and the Congress is controlled by the other major party. Can also occur if the White House and one house of Congress is controlled by one party and the other house of Congress controlled by the other party

Front 13

Dixiecrats

Back 13

Democrats in southern states who tended to votefor Democratic candidates in local and state elections and for Republican candidates in presidential elections. Fought to retain Jim Crow laws and white supremacy and to curtail the reach of the federal government

Front 14

Downs Model

Back 14

Anthony Downs posits that it is rational for someone not to vote if they see no policy differences between the parties or candidates

Front 15

electorate

Back 15

made up of people who are eligible to vote

Front 16

Federalist Party

Back 16

1796 - 1824; fostered in part by Alexander Hamilton's ideas, such as a national bank, they were the first political party and shortest-lived major party. After their candidate, John Adams, lost his reelection bid in 1820 the party faded.

Front 17

incentives to join political parties

Back 17

solidary, purposive, material

Front 18

independent

Back 18

someone who is not a member of any political party

Front 19

initiative

Back 19

citizen-led proposals that get on the ballot after a certain number of signatures are obtained on a petition

Front 20

linkage institutions

Back 20

the channels through which people's concerns become political issues on the government's policy agenda; includes elections,political parties, interest groups, the media

Front 21

multiparty system

Back 21

political system in which several parties impact the political agenda and political action

Front 22

national chairman/national chairperson

Back 22

responsible for the day-to-day activities of the party and is usually handpicked by the presidential nominee.

Front 23

national committee

Back 23

composed of representatives from state party organizations and professional employees; keeps the party running between the national conventions

Front 24

national convention/national nominating convention

Back 24

the meeting of party delegates every four years to choose a presidential ticket (president and vicepresident candidates) and write the party platform. The party convention is the highest authority of the party.

Front 25

New Deal coalition

Back 25

forged by the Democrats under Franklin Roosevelt; dominated American politics from the 1930s to the 1960s; included urban dwellers, labor unions, Catholics, Jews, the poor, Southerners, African Americans and intellectuals.

Front 26

open primaries

Back 26

elections to select party nominees in which voters can decide on primary election day which party contest they wish to vote in

Front 27

parliamentary democracy

Back 27

form of democracy in which the legislature(parliament) is proportionally represented; the top government leader, the Prime Minister, is chosen from within the parliament; there is no term limit for a Prime Minister, who will serve so long as he can hold a majority coalition

Front 28

parliament

Back 28

the legislature of a parliamentary democracy

Front 29

partisanship

Back 29

being supportive of one party; cf.bipartisanship

Front 30

party competition

Back 30

the battle of the political parties for control of public offices

Front 31

party dealignment

Back 31

the gradual disengagement of people and politicians from the parties, as seen in part by shrinking party identification.

Front 32

party eras

Back 32

historical periods in which a majority of voters cling to the party in power, which tends to win a majority of the elections

Front 33

party identification

Back 33

a citizen's self-proclaimed preference for one party or the other

Front 34

party image

Back 34

the voters' perception of what a party stands for, e.g. Republicans stand for conservatism and Democrats stand for liberalism. Cf. figure 8.1, p. 251

Front 35

party in government

Back 35

party members who are elected to public office

Front 36

party in the electorate

Back 36

the identification with party by voters; cf.party identification

Front 37

party machine

Back 37

a type of political party organization that relies heavily on material inducements, such as patronage, to win votes and to govern

Front 38

party neutrality

Back 38

describes the situation that many voters are not aligned with either of the two major political parties

Front 39

party organization

Back 39

hierarchical, with the national nominating convention (aka national convention) serving as the highest authority; a national chairman and a national committee are responsible for the day-to-day operations of the party between convention meetings. Various sub groups are part of the overall organization such as the national committee and the platform committee

Front 40

party platform

Back 40

a list of what a party believes about a set of political agenda issues and includes what the party will do if its candidates are elected to office

Front 41

party realignment

Back 41

the displacement of the majority party by the minority party, usually during a critical election period.

Front 42

patronage

Back 42

a reward for party loyalty and support rather than for merit or competence; may include a job with the government, a promotion in a government organization or a contract with the government.

Front 43

platform committee

Back 43

the party group designated with developing the party platform

Front 44

political agenda

Back 44

the political goals of a group or government

Front 45

political party

Back 45

an organized group of people who think alike about politics and try to get their candidates elected to office to get their political agenda implemented

Front 46

prime minister

Back 46

the chief political leader of a parliamentary democracy;chosen by members of the parliament from the membership of the parliament

Front 47

proportional representation

Back 47

an electoral system used through most of Europe that awards legislative seats to political parties in proportion to the number of votes won in an election

Front 48

public opinion

Back 48

the collective of individual attitudes or beliefs held by the adult population

Front 49

quid pro quo

Back 49

an exchange of political favors; "you do this for me, I will do this for you"

Front 50

rational-choice theory

Back 50

posited by Anthony Downs; a theory which assumes that people, including candidates and voters, act in their own best interest,carefully weighing the costs and benefits of possible alternatives

Front 51

recall election

Back 51

allowed in some states; if enough people sign on to a petition, an elected official will face a vote to determine whether the official will remain in office or be forced to resign. If a resignation is forced, a new election is held to fill the office.

Front 52

referendum

Back 52

a state-level method of direct legislation thatgives voters a chance to approve or disapprove proposed legislation or aproposed state constitutional amendment

Front 53

religious right

Back 53

made up of conservative Christians who base their political beliefs and decisions on their religious beliefs and teachings

Front 54

Republican Revolution

Back 54

refers to the successful Newt Gingrich-led movement to have Republicans gain control of the House of Representatives in 1994

Front 55

responsible party model

Back 55

posits that parties should offer clear choices to the voters who can use those choices as cues to their own preferences of candidates; once in office, parties should carry out their campaign promises office.

Front 56

third parties, esp. Republican, Populist, Progressive,Reform, Green

Back 56

any party except the Democratic and Republican parties

Front 57

third parties, types

Back 57

splinter party: a party which breaks off of a major party, e.g. the Progressive Party (aka the Bull Moose Party) split off from the Republican party.

ideological party: a party which focuses on making widespread changes in the United States but whose ideas are too far from the mainstream of political thought to be win election, e.g. the American Nazi Party

single-issue party: a party which focuses on one main political issue and fails to seek broad enough support to win elections, e.g. the US Marijuana Party which seeks to end the prohibition of marijuana and the drug war

Front 58

ticket splitting

Back 58

voting with one party for some offices and with another party (or parties) for other offices

Front 59

two-party system (vs. multi-party)

Back 59

political system wherein there are only two major parties which have much impact on the political agenda or political actions

Front 60

winner-take-all system

Back 60

an electoral system in which legislative seats are awarded only to the candidates who come in first in their race. In the electoral college system, the winner of the popular vote in a state receives all the electoral votes of the state (except for Maine and Nebraska).

Front 61

527 groups

Back 61

A 527 organization or 527 group is a type of U.S. tax-exempt organization organized under Section 527 of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code (26 U.S.C. § 527). A 527 group is created primarily to influence the selection, nomination, election, appointment or defeat of candidates to federal, state or local public office.

Front 62

Examples of interest groups

Back 62

AARP

NRA

Front 63

Actual group

Back 63

that part of the potential group consisting of members who actual join.

Front 64

Amicus curiae briefs

Back 64

legal information submitted by a "friend of the court" for the purpose of raising additional points of view and presenting information no contained in the briefs of the formal parties in an attempt to influence a court's decision.

Front 65

Class action lawsuits

Back 65

lawsuits permitting a small number of people to sue on behalf of all other people similarly situated.

Front 66

Climate control

Back 66

the use of public relations techniques to create favorable public opinion toward an interest group, industry or corporation

Front 67

Collective good

Back 67

something of value (e.g., money, a tax write-off, prestige, clean air, etc.) that cannot be withheld from a group member.

Front 68

Electioneering

Back 68

direct group involvement in the electoral process; may include fund raising, get out the vote efforts, testimony and other activities.

Front 69

Elite theory

Back 69

theory of government and politics contending that societies are divided along class lines and that an upper-class elite will rule, regardless of the formal niceties of government organization.

Front 70

Free riders

Back 70

someone who benefits from being a member of a group but does not

Front 71

Free rider problem

Back 71

the problem faced by groups when people do not join because they can benefit from the group's activities without official joining. The bigger the group, the more serious the problem.

Front 72

Going public

Back 72

occurs when interest groups or government officials bring information to the public in order to influence public opinion

Front 73

Hyperpluralist theory

Back 73

theory of government and politics contending that groups are so strong that government is weakened.

Front 74

Interest group

Back 74

an organization of people with shared policy goals entering the policy process at several points to try and achieve these goals.

Front 75

Interest group types

Back 75

economic: focus on labor (worker) and businesses.

public interest/consumer interest: seek a collective good, the achievement of which will not selectively and materially benefit the membership or activities of the organization.

single interest: groups that have a narrow interest, tend to dislike compromise, and often draw membership from those new to politics.

environmental: focus on protecting the environment

equality: focus on equal protection and equity issues

special interest: synonym for interest group

Front 76

Iron triangles

Back 76

Cf. Subgovernments

Front 77

Issue networks

Back 77

a policy making alliance among loosely connected participants that comes together on a particular issue, then disbands. Environmental concerns have been the greatest recipients of issue network support.

Front 78

Labor unions

Back 78

organizations made up of workers who collectively bargain for employment issues such as salary, benefits and workplace conditions

Front 79

Litigation

Back 79

using lawsuits to attempt to change policies or actions.

Front 80

Lobbying

Back 80

the attempt to influence a government official's actions

Front 81

Lobbyist

Back 81

someone who attempts to influence a government official's actions

Front 82

Olson's law of large groups

Back 82

advanced by Mancur Olson, a principle stating that "the larger the group, the further it will fall short of providing an optimal amount of a collective good."

Front 83

Pluralist theory

Back 83

theory of government and politics emphasizing that politics is mainly a completion among groups, each one pressing fore its own preferred policies.

Front 84

Political action committee (PAC)

Back 84

political vehicles created by the 1974 campaign finance reforms. Interest groups can create a PAC ad register it with the Federal Election Commission which monitors PAC expenditures.

Front 85

Potential group

Back 85

all of the people who might be interest group members because they share some common interest. A positional group is almost always larger than an actual group.

Front 86

Revolving door

Back 86

occurs when individuals go back and forth between working in the industry and government.

Front 87

Right to work laws

Back 87

forbids requirements that workers must join a union to hold their jobs. Most states with right-to-work laws are found in the South.

Front 88

Selective benefits

Back 88

goods, e.g. information, publications, travel discounts and group insurance rates, that a group can restrict to those who pay their annual dues.

Front 89

Subgovernments

Back 89

a network of groups within the political system that exercise a great deal of control over specific policy areas; aka iron triangles. Composed of representatives of interest groups, government bureaucrats and members of congressional committees and subcommittees and their staff.

Front 90

Super PACs

Back 90

tend to focus financial support on one candidate, working outside the formal election organization or party, or issue

Front 91

Taft Hartley act 1947

Back 91

permits states to adopt right-to-work laws.

Front 92

Union shop

Back 92

a provision in collective bargaining agreements requiring all employees of a business to join a labor union.